Are you ready to become a hero of the realm?
by YuiChan999
Summary: Join Hero and his party to find out who is stealing crystals from all over the realm. What does he/she want to accomplish? This started off as a birthday present for a friend, but kinda got out of hand :D
1. Introduction

**Are you ready to become a Hero of the realm?**

 _"Greetings, traveller._

 _I have heard great stories about you and your party. Your adventures fighting against raging dragons, walking through fire and crawling through freezing whirlwinds are known by everyone in the country. As you have already accomplished all these astonishing things, I would like to ask you to help._  
 _I have been sent by our (exploding) king himself to offer you a quest, for which you shall be rewarded greatly in case you are successful. I shall now tell you, what this quest entails._  
 _You are asked to retrieve a magical item from a creature of death. Even though the journey to the creature's lair is difficult and dangerous and you might die in the process, we are certain that you are the person who can overcome this great danger. You will receive more information to its whereabouts, should you agree to these terms._

 _In case of your success, you shall be given 10 chests, in which magical cards and other enticing items can be found. You shall also receive the finest piece of armour you have ever seen, forged by the high elves and dwarves of the kingdom together, as well as a mighty mare of pure fire to carry you into more adventures. The king himself will grant you gold, as well as essences, which can be used to create powerful spells, from his royal treasury._  
 _Oh, and another thing is waiting for you upon your return. You shall be allowed to reside wherever you want to in the kingdom and will also be able to choose from an array of 26 soldiers, who shall join you on your travels. We have a lot more soldiers in training, of course, but they lack the skill that will be needed._

 _So? What do you say? Will you help a kingdom in need?_

 _If yes, turn the page. If not, please inform us of another great hero, who can accomplish this task."_

 _His Majesty King of the Bombs_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

He was turning the scroll in his hand. Turn the page? There was nothing on the back of the scroll or any sign of another page.  
He turned to the other members of his party and handed the scroll over to his second in command. She was floating almost a foot above the ground and her weapon of choice, a blue ornamented mirror, hung right next to her head in mid-air. A large scroll as well as two smaller scrolls were held together by a purple rope and were fastened to green leather straps which wrapped around her shoulders and hips. Her dress, which revealed almost the entirety of her legs, was the same shade of blue as her mirror and seemed to flow on an invisible wind and a rose-coloured crystal was embedded in the middle of her chest. Black hair flowed around her head, and was half-up in a ponytail, the other half falling down to her shoulder blades. Elongated and pointed ears peeked out from underneath her locks and were decorated by crystals which were the same shade of pale pink as the one decorating her dress and mirror.  
Her grey eyes looked into his. Most people would describe the colour grey as boring, but her eyes were different, like you could see stars dancing around her Irises in ever-changing constellations. Through her pale blue veil, he saw her smiling up at him. The scroll slid into her hand, as she read what kind of errand the king had for them.

A few minutes passed, while he looked out onto the pavement of the Stone Keep and the pedestrians passing each other in the market square, which was decorated in the colours of autumn for the upcoming annual celebration. He could see that all townspeople were excited for the feast and firework. Hero was secretly looking forward to the midnight dance. He hoped his best friend would give him the honour to dance under the stars with him, while the shooting stars coloured the sky in shades of red, pink and blue.  
"This is weird." Her voice startled him. "There is something missing and I can't sense any hiding spells on this." She let the open scroll float in the air in front of her and frowned at it. He looked over to her. "So, what do you suggest we do?", he asked "I think we should to find the messenger. Did anybody see him?" She turned to their travelling company, who all shook their heads no. "I found it tied to our doorknob", Hero said. He explained that he had noticed it on the way back from the washroom this morning. Anybody could have left that note without them noticing because they were staying in a little inn near the large stone wall that surrounded the keep. "I guess we'll have to go to the king himself, then.", Ying mumbled. Hero agreed: "Seems like we have no other choice." The five of them packed their bags and left the inn after a hearty lunch.

They crossed through the many market stands to the other side of the keep and passed a pair of guards on the bottom of the hill leading to the king's castle. The building itself was a round shape with a chimney on top. It was similar to a bomb, with the chimney being the fuse and the castle being the shell filled with explosives.  
They approached slowly and waited for the men to ask them what their business with the king was or shoo them away but instead, they nodded once in unison and let them pass. The party climbed the hill, Ying being the fastest because she wasn't really walking but floating. Atop the incline, a loud boom sounded from inside the castle. The second pair of men guarding the entrance didn't seem to mind though, so the travellers kept calm but mentally prepared for a fight. As the shiny grey doors to the castle insides were pushed open by the guards, the party entered warily, already on the lookout for possible threats.  
The throne room was built as a half circle, which seemed to have no ceiling. It was barely lit, thus leaving the five in almost complete darkness. Luckily, Androxus was able to see fairly well in the dark space. His midnight blue coat vanished, as he dashed forward, to check for a possible ambush. He held his grey revolver at the ready, which looked like it had teeth attached to it as well as green crystals embedded in the magazine. Despite his metal boots, he was no louder than a soft breeze. The razor-like spikes atop his head gleamed, as he flew past the only window that was lighting the room. The Godslayer, that's what the people called him. Hero didn't know what God he killed, but he was sure he didn't want to get on Androxus' bad side.  
The Godslayer returned to the rest of the party, his artificial green eyes meeting Hero's with a slight nod being the confirmation that the room was safe to enter. Hero was always surprised that he didn't flinch whenever Androxus dashed toward him. Everything about him felt dark and terrible. Androxus, lacking a mouth and nose, was not able to portray emotions as easily as other creatures living in the realm, but something about him always felt sad and lonely. Hero looked at the Godslayer, who has been a friend and part of this family of misfits for a long time already, and returned the nod. He started walking toward the single window in the room, which was built right behind the massive throne, which took up almost the entire wall and was decorated with crystals and gold.

A shudder went through the castle, as another explosion sounded and a large ball, which seemed to burn rolled toward the party. "Give your king a big hug!" With that, the ball uncurled and Bomb King himself drew Ying and Hero into his chest. After a good squeeze, he let them go and noticed the rest of the party staring at him awkwardly. His gaze landed on Androxus. "Come here, grumpy boy!", the King said and hugged him tight. The Godslayer looked to Hero and Ying for help, the latter just grinning widely at him. "Hello to you too, your majesty.", Hero finally said to the King. "Now, it would be amazing if you could release my dear friend. He is not accustomed to such friendly greetings." His mouth settled into an honest smile, as he beheld the emotionless stare of Androxus. The King released him from his firm grip. "I'm sorry, I have such an _explosive_ personality." He looked over the party with a happy grin on his face.  
One could only imagine, that it was his face because it was made from pure blue metal like the rest of his body. On top of his head sat his beloved crown, which contained his "hair", which was really just a long fuse tipped with a gold bead. Behind him flowed his fuzzy grey cape which was fastened to his body with two purple crystals, that could also be found in his arm cuffs, embedded in his crown, as well as his belt. The fire inside of his belly, right under his enormous breastplate, was glowing softly and radiated a nice warmth. Because his tummy was rather large and warm, every hug felt like being embraced by a heating blanket…made of pure steel.  
His fiery eyes settled on Hero, as he asked: "So, what brings you here? I hope you got my letter?" Ying approached him. "Yes, we did get your letter and we do want to embark on the quest that you have prepared for us, but there seems to be a page missing and with that vital information." The King looked devastated, his mouth hanging open, his eyes staring at Ying. "That is impossible! I sent my most trustworthy messenger! Maeve, come here at once!"

His voice echoed through the throne room, filling it with the unnerving sound of clanking metal, as a girl arrived. She came sprinting through a large door, located on the left of the room. She was short with chin-long pink hair, with one strand fixed in a blue bead. Her small frame seemed even more petit in comparison to her blue coat that had a big pink crystal fixed to her back. The coat was almost dragging on the floor behind her and seemed to shimmer in a rich shade of purple every time she moved. Under that, she wore a simple beige tunic and grey pants, as well as knee-high brown boots. A belt was fastened around her hips, which held an array of throwing knives, the shaft bound with azure blue leather, a strip loosely dangling at the end. The blades themselves looked blunt and cracked, which made Hero assume that she made them herself.  
Her cat-like eyes were a piercing blue, which looked innocently right into the King's as she spoke in a French accent: "His Majesty called?" She toyed with the loose string on one of her knives. "Do you know, who is here?" The King gestured to the party with his blue metal hands that were larger than the girl's head. Her throat bobbed and she nodded. "And do you know why they are here, instead of going on the mission that I sent them?" Again, she bobbed her head. "Where is the missing page?" The King crossed his arms and waited for her explanation. "I wanted to go.", was her simple answer. Her voice sounded as small as she was. "You what?" The King was furious. The fire in his eyes and belly burned even hotter and brighter as he conjured a small bomb out of thin air. The bomb grinned and looked lovingly up at its King, with it's big, bulgy eyes. The King's arm flew backwards, aiming right at Maeve, when Hero intervened. "Majesty!" A ghost hand came shot out of Hero's own and flew toward the King. But it was too late. The bomb was already laughing as it flew through the air, missing the girl's head by a few inches and attaching itself to the wall.  
The party was ready to pounce on the King. Everyone had his or her weapons out and only waited for Hero's command. But he loosened a breath, letting his magic hand disappear. "Majesty, are you- ", he couldn't finish the sentence. "No, no, boy. Explosions first. Questions later." And with that the King threw five more bombs around the one on the wall, each one grinning in the same way the first one did. Maeve apparently knew what was coming, and ran toward the party, pushing them a few feet away. And right in time, because the King drew in a breath and bumped his fists together in front of his chest, detonating the bombs. Smoke filled the room, leaving the party coughing hard. The guards outside of the entrance just pushed open the door, letting fresh air in.

Soon, everyone was able to breathe normally again. "Thank you, little one.", Hero said. Maeve just stared up at him. She wasn't used to being seen, much less appreciated. She rubbed her hands together behind her chest. "I'm sorry for taking the second page. But I really wanted to prove myself. I can fight!" "I never doubted, that you can. And I am not angry." Her mouth hung open. Hero opened his hand toward her and she stared at it for a moment, before handing over the page.  
Hero smiled at the girl and turned to approach the King, who has calmed down a little. "Majesty, can I ask you something?" The King only nodded once and glanced at Hero, still facing the wall. "Can the girl join us? We could use a little help." "No.", was the simple answer. But not from the king. Instead, a tall girl with fiery red hair strolled into the room, halting a few steps in front of Hero. "My sister is going nowhere. She still has to train more." The girl crossed her Arms over her chest, which was protected by a heavy breastplate. Her eyes were rimmed with black liner and her choppy hid one side of her face. A little wooden stick hung lazily in the corner of her mouth, as she ran an eye over Hero and the party assembled behind him, her gaze stopping on Maeve.  
The small girl just walked over to her sister, admitting defeat. Before they turned to go, she promised Hero: "I will train hard. And when you come back from this mission, I will join your ranks." Hero smiled at her and nodded. "I sure hope so.", was his answer.

The party said their goodbyes to Maeve and her sister, the latter simply staring and mumbling something incoherent. After they bowed to the King, they descended the hill and embarked on the journey that would take them deep into the realm, to dangers yet unknown.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

They were looking for a crystal. A gem just like the ones incorporated into the weapons and clothes of the party, as well as the King's and Maeve's. But where they could find it was nowhere written on the page:

 _"You seek the power crystals, that the creature stole in the dead of night from the King himself. Some guards and servants have reported it fled eastward, toward the mountain range._  
 _I fear that the culprit is gathering crystals, but I do not know what it wants to achieve with them. As you know, the gems can hold great powers, which have to be handled responsibly, or else..."_

That was all the information they had. "It's not much, but at least we have a general direction.", Androxus' metal voice spoke from over Hero's shoulder. Ying nodded. "Should we set out now or do we wait till morning?" The sun was already setting, painting the sky in hues of pink, purple and red, the coloured clouds swirling above the walls of the keep. The streetlamps around them, that were powered by tiny crystals on top of each one, were slowly lighting up, casting a soft yellow glow onto the party's faces, making the shadows on each one more prominent. The day wasn't as stressful as some others had been in the past, but the party seemed tired nonetheless, so Hero suggested, they should stay in the keep for one night more and leave at the crack of dawn.

They did not settle in the same inn though. Androxus, who had explored Stone Keep a day before, knew of a small tavern, near the large entrance gates of the fortress. The party agreed to follow their friend, venturing toward the keep's outer walls.  
As they strode through the twilight, they looked around the keep. The walls were white, with a soft pastel pink or blue undertone. Vines with large rose-coloured blossoms encircled some of the columns that ringed the castle grounds. A stone statue stood in front of the town hall to their left, portraying a hooded woman with a sword in one hand and a scroll in the other. Her plain dress was cinched together at the waist with a belt, embellished with a crystal. Her face seemed unfinished, while the owl sitting on her shoulder raising its wings was very detailed, showing every feather. Red-coloured vines grew from between the statues feet, cascading down the column she stood on.

None of the party members claimed to know who that woman was or what she symbolized. But one of them seemed to linger a while longer in front of the statue. Her name was Cassie. She wore a cape similar to the statue's. But hers was coloured in rich shades of green, fastened with a light blue crystal, as blue as her eyes. She wore her coppery hair in a braid, but it still fell past her buttocks. Her surcoat was green, with brown accents around her bust. It ended mid-thigh, showing off her curvy legs, covered by thin brown pants. Her right arm was covered from the elbow down with a brown leather glove, a hawk sitting atop it. His feathers were as red as Cassie's hair. Zigs was the name that she gave him. Her weapon of choice was a metal crossbow, shooting green arrows and, like every magical weapon in the realm, hers was also powered by a crystal, shining in an ocean blue.  
She gazed at the statue standing in front of her, her eyes glazing over with sadness. Her nickname was the Hunter's Daughter. When she was young, she ran away; stole a horse, grabbed Zigs and never looked back. No one except her knew why she left home. And like her friends, she did not know who that woman was, but she felt a deep connection toward her.  
When she turned to go, she caught Hero looking at her, concerned. She gave him a little smile and hurried to catch up with him.  
"Is everything okay?", he asked her when she fell in step next to him. "Yes, I'm just tired." He knew that wasn't the whole truth but he didn't want to press any further. Instead, he just put an arm around her and squeezed lightly. He knew that she loved hugs. And it was working: Cassie grinned at him and started running toward the rest of the group walking between the stone houses and columns. Hero sprinted past, and grinned back at her, until he ran headfirst into the metal back of Androxus. The Godslayer turned and grabbed Hero in a headlock. "Watch where you're going, boy!" His clanging voice sounded strange, tinted with humour, and Hero could have sworn his green eyes flashed with joy, as he rubbed Hero's head.  
When he finally let go, Hero's red curls were sticking out from his head, making him look like he wore a clown's wig. Androxus laughed at the sight of that and soon the whole party joined in. One member wore a particularly glowing smile: Ying. Their eyes met for a moment and Hero felt his cheeks grow hot and quickly looked away.  
Hero looked around and noticed why Androxus had stopped walking. They stood in front of a house, which seemed tiny in front of the towering wall. They entered and greeted the innkeeper, all the while feeling the stares of the other guests. One group was staring particularly long. They were five people, each of them armed. Ying grew more and more nervous and whispered into Hero's ear: "I don't feel good about them, let's hurry." Hero felt the same way, but kept his posture, as he paid for one large room for one night. The innkeeper thanked him and gave them a key and gave them general directions to room 8.

As the party entered their place for the night, they beheld a large double bed, as well as one single and one bunk bed. Cassie stole a look at Androxus, who was striding right to the single bed, plopping down on the mattress, which squeaked in answer. The party let him have the bed because no one wanted to sleep next to or above him, as he was known for having dreams about killing, as well as sleepwalking. This has resulted in him almost choking Hero one night.

"Well, let's guess, who's gonna sleep in the big, fluffy double bed.", Cassie remarked, while poking Ying lightly in the arm. "Ying and you of course.", Hero answered. Even though he would like to share a bed with her sometime, he preferred to do that in private, while he did not have to share the room with three others. His friends knew that he had feelings for Ying, but tried not to interfere too much.  
Cassie jumped onto the bed and rolled across it, facing Androxus and sticking her tongue out to him. He could not return the gesture, but laughed nonetheless. Ying sat down on the other side, while Hero excused himself to go to the washroom and change. He threw a look at Androxus, who groggily got up and followed him, giving the girls time to talk and settle down.

They strode down the hall, to the shared washroom. It had only the essentials: two chamber pots, along with a small basin, which was filled with fresh water, streaming down from a pipe above it. Nobody was in the room, as it was only early in the evening and most of the other guests were talking and drinking downstairs in the main hall. Hero stripped his clothes, smelling of smoke after the bomb king's outburst this afternoon, and washed himself off quickly. Androxus grabbed a small washcloth from his bag and polished his metal arms and face, after wetting it in the basin. He waited next to the door for Hero to put on fresh clothes, after soaking the dirty ones in the basin and wringing them out. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door, his wet clothes in one hand.  
As they opened the door to return to their room, they heard footsteps, along with a hushed conversation coming in their direction. They stepped out of the washroom and saw the strange group from downstairs. When the party saw them coming, the conversation stopped, while they passed Hero and Androxus and disappeared in a room further down the hall.

The two of them were alone in the room, Hero pacing from the small window, to the door and back, while he waited for the girls to return from the washroom. He knew of course, that they would need significantly more time, as they were actually using soap instead of just water. Androxus ignored him, further polishing his "armour" with the cloth to make it shine, having found an unruly spot on his arm. Hero's "washed" clothes hung from the end of the bunk bed, which had a rack attached to it. Zigs, Cassie's pet hawk, sat casually atop it and nibbled his feathers.  
Hero finally stopped walking and climbed the ladder of the bed, lying on his back on the mattress. "I get that you're nervous. But don't forget, that we have completed missions with much less information before.", Androxus said from the other side of the room, surveying the state of this armour. "I know, but the other quests had nothing to do with power crystals, other than us fighting with them." Hero turned onto his side, staring right into Androxus metal face. "Hero, you are an amazing leader. We have followed you for many years, not because we have to, but because we respect you very much. You have been there for all of us, so let me be here for you. I'm telling you, there is no reason for you to freak out over a bunch of crystals, when we have slain monsters together." Hero was speechless for a moment. To him, the party was family, but he never heard such encouraging words from the Godslayer. He just nodded and said: "Thank you, friend." Androxus eyes lit up for a moment, showing what Hero guessed was pride.

The girls finally returned, hanging their clothes onto the rack as well. Cassie and Ying hid under the thick covers of the double bed, Zigs slipping under Cassie's arm. Inara, the fifth member of the party, laid her rocks, which were always flying above her head, all around her body and curled herself into the bed below Hero's.  
She was the latest addition to the little family. The party met her in the woods near a mountain, where she has been looking after the forest animals for over a century. She finally decided to help the party, as she could build a stone wall within seconds to shield her friends. Her favourite accessory was a yellow flower she picked from the woods. Normally, it was tucked into her matted brown hair, but now it was lying on the windowsill. She fought with a wooden staff, reinforced with metal parts. It was decorated with vines and a large piece of yellow fabric tied around the upper half. On top of the staff were three sharp rocks, levitating around a yellow crystal. Simple green leather was wrapped around her upper body, exposing her midriff, which showed cracks and scars. Her lower body was completely covered by a long blue skirt, as well as yellow fabric, that wrapped around her hips, held in place by a metal chain. Green gloves protected her arms, almost all the way up to her shoulders. Her nickname was the Stone Warden, not only because she obviously liked stones for whatever reason, but her skin seemed to be made up of stone too.  
The Godslayer locked the door from the inside, just to be sure no one could creep in during the night, and settled down as well, whispering to himself before falling asleep.

It was the middle of the night, when Ying awoke. She had dreamed of a creature, hiding in an ancient temple, toying with gems. She knew that it was more than a dream.  
Having worked as a fortune teller in a little town, she had discovered that she could indeed predict the future. Not as far as some people would like, but she could see a few days ahead. She hated that she couldn't quite control that power yet, resulting in a chain of embarrassing dreams and nightmares. A mattress squeaked to her right, and she saw Hero's form hopping down from the bed, tiptoeing out of the room, only wearing his brown baggy pants. She sat up, taking three deep breaths, and counted the seconds till his return. After 150 long seconds, she finally heard the door open again, Hero sneaking in and locking the door behind him again. The moon shone through the small window, illuminating the back of Ying's head. Her friend noticed her and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed.  
"What's up?", he whispered.  
"I saw something." He knew, she didn't mean in the room.  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
"I don't yet know when it takes place. All I saw is someone and crystals - a lot of crystals."  
He nodded, being lost in his thoughts for a moment. Ying fidgeted with the blanket.  
"Can you stay? Just in case I have another dream?", she asked him. She normally only had only one or two visions per night, but she felt really uncomfortable.  
"You know, you can just cuddle with Cassie, she loves that.", he smiled at her, trying to sound reassuring.  
"I'd rather have you here." He went still for a moment, but finally caved in and laid down next to her, trying to take up as little space as possible, not wanting to bother Cassie. Ying scooted closer to him, her hair glowing in the moonlight, while he embraced her tightly. He waited until her breathing slowed and she was sleeping, all the while debating, whether he should return to his own bed. In the end, he stayed, not quite sure if he did it for her or himself.

A faint whirring sound, as well as rustling awoke him hours later, the sky being painted in a light blue. He couldn't sit up though, because Ying was sprawled over his bare chest, still sleeping. He looked around, trying not to move too much and spotted Cassie climbing down from the bunk bed. He threw her an apologetic look, but she only winked back at him, wearing a cocky grin. He heard snickering to his left, where Inara was pinning her flower back into her hair and Androxus checking his bags, the former smiling at him. "I hope, you slept well", the Godslayer said, one of his glowing eyes going black. Apparently, he could wink.  
The weight on Hero's chest moved, Ying sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, smiling at the others. "Sorry, I overslept.", she yawned. As she looked around, she spotted a half-naked Hero lying next to her, remembering her request last night. Her face grew red and she covered herself with the blanket. Hero laughed and finally sat up. "Go away, I'm dying over here.", her muffled voice said from underneath the covers. Cassie shooed Hero out of the room, giving Ying time to recover and get dressed.

Half an hour later, the party stood at the large gates of the Keep, their bags packed. Hero turned to his friends. "Ready?", he asked. Everyone nodded, Cassie turning her head to her hawk, who sat on her shoulder: "You ready for this, Zigs?" He screeched in agreement.  
And with that, the guards opened the gates for the party, just as the sun crept over the walls, shining a beacon right at their backs, as they stepped out and headed east.


End file.
